Box or binder



Sept. 3, 1929.

T. R. WALKER BOX 0R BINDER 4Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 25', 1926 Snvcwfoz 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1926 a 3% w J 3 c 0 2 W lk 1 0m R, Will/i6 ahvehfoz Sept. 3, 1929. T. R. WALKER I BOX OR BINDER Filed June 25, 1926 4 Sheets-$heet 3 Tom Ra aywm atoz T. R. WALKER BOX 0R BINDER Sept. 3, 1929.

Filed June 25, 1926 4heets-5heet 4 Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES TOM RANDOLPH WALKER, OF ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA.

BOX OR BINDER.

Application filed June 25,

This invention aims to provide novel means whereby the parts of a shipping container may be assembled and connected, whether made of sawn lumber or rotary cut veneering,

varying in thickness from inch upwardly,

or from corrugated card-board or paper, or even from metal, without the use of nails, wire, staple-s, screws, hinges, bolts, rivets, glue, tape, or other instrumentalities commonly employed to h old together the parts of a container. The invention aims, further, to provide device which will add materially to the strength of any box and render the assembling-of the box convenient, in the field, orchard. factory, or wherever boxes are needed, or wherever it is required that boxes be put together, it being unnecessary to resort to the use of machinery as is now necessary in assemblingshipping containers and boxes. Another object of the invention is so to construct the device that the work of assembling may be done quickly and at a greatly decreased cost. A further object of the invention is to construct a box which, in one form, may be used to contain light merchandise, a mere change in dimensions adapting the box to carry heavy merchandise, without depart-- ing from the spirit of the invention. Another object of the invention is to improve the construction of the clasps which hold the box shooks together, the clasps being made cheaply out of light spring steel, or of common iron having resiliency enough to enable the clasps to get a hold on the walls of the box when in position. Another object of the invention is to provide a clasp which may be used in varying number on each box, more clasps being used whena heavy load is to be carried in the box, than are used when a lighter load is to be carried in the box. A further object of the invention is so to construct the box that it will be difficult to pilter therefrom. The invention contemplates the provision of a shipping container which will be compact and light, the article being so well made, notwithstanding its lightness, that damage claims against the shipper will be cut down greatly.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of 1926. Serial N0. 118,525.

construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invent-ion herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention. 7

In the drawings Figure 1 shows in perspective, a device constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view disclosing one of the anchors; Figure 3 is a transverse sectionof a box, constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the clasps in place; Figure 5 is a perspective view wherein a modified form of the invention appears; Figure 6 is a perspective view disclosing one of the corner pieces and anchors which are used in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating another modification in the invention; F igure 8 is a composite perspective showing the two-piece corner member and anchor which is used in the form delineated in Figure 7 Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a further modification; Figure 10 is a perspective in which another form of the invention appears; Figure 11 is a perspective view showing another modification; Figure 12 is a perspective showing a part of the met-a1 binding means used in that form which is the subject matter of Figure 11; Figure 13 is a sectional view of one of the connections.

Referring to the form shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, there is shown a box 1 embodying a top 2, sides 3, ends 4, and a bottom 5, the parts 2, 3, 4t and 5 being alluded to generally as the panels of the box.

Referring especially to Figure 4, the device includes any desired number of resilient metal connections each including resilient troughshaped end clasps 6 and an intermediate clasp 7 the clasps 6 being disposed at right angles to the clasp 7, the clasps 6 being joined to the clasp 7 by short junction strips 8 connecting the end walls 9 of the clasp 6 with one of the side walls 10 of the clasp 7 at a point near to the end wall 11 of the clasp 7.

The edges of the top 2 are received in the clasps 7 and the upper edges of the sides 3 and the ends 4 are received in the clasps 6, the clasps 6 and 7 gripping the parts which they receive, to hold those parts together. Figure 4: shows, in connection with Figure 1, that the sides 3 and the ends at may be joined by connectors of the kind described, although the connectors specified may either be used or omitted, depending upon the amount of strength the box is to have. The sides 3 and the ends 4 may be retained by corner holders 12 including angularly disposed troughshaped resilient parts 14 which grip the edges of the sides 3 and the ends 4. The bottom 5 may be held in place in the manner hereinbelt'ore described in connection with the top 2.

On the edges of the top 2 and the bottom 5, at points intermediate the corners of the box, may be placed trough-shaped anchors 15, each including an upper wall 16, a back 17, a tongue 18 depending from the back, the tongue 19 projecting from the wall 16, and

. flanges 20 extended from the back 17 and located on opposite sides of the tongue 18. The edge of the top 2 or the bottom 5 is gripped between the parts 16 and 20, the tongue 19 extends upon the top 2 or upon the bottom 5,

r and the tongues 18 extend upon the sides 3 and the ends 4, as shown clearly in Figure 1. Any suitable means may be provided for connecting the oppositely disposed anchors. It may be expedient to strike straps or bridges 21 out of the arms or tongues 18 and 19, and to provide the straps 21 with pawls 22 adapted to engage racks 23 on straps 24, the straps and the anchor pieces of course being made of metal, certain of the straps being crossed on each other on the top and on the bottom of the box, as shown at 25, and others of the straps extending along the sides and ends of the box, as shown at 26 in Figure 1.

In Figures 5 and 6, the top is shown at 27, the bottom at 28, the sides at 29, and the ends at 30. The corner pieces shown at 14 in Figure 4, appear at 31 in Figure 5. In this form otthe invention, the corners of the top 27 and of the bottom 28 are received in angular anchors 32 comprising rectangularly disposed arms 33 each of which resembles the article shown in Figure 2, each of the arms 33 including a back 34, an upper or outer wall 46, underlying flanges 40, and tongues projecting from the backs 34 and located between the flanges 40. A tongue 36 projects from one of the aforesaid upper or outer walls 46. The tongues 35 and 36 have oifset straps or bridges 37 provided with pawls 38 adapted to cooperate with racks 39 on metal strips 41, although some means other than the racks 39 and the pawls 38 may be employed for connecting the strips to the corner anchor pieces. As shown in Figure 5, certain of the strips 41 extend across the top and the bottom of the box, whereas others of the strips extend along the sides and the ends of the box, near to the corners of the box.

In Figures 7 and 8, the same numerals are employed as in Figures 5 and 6, with the suffix a. The modification consists in forming the two arms 33 separately, as shown at 42, the parts and 46 having inwardly extended prongs 43 which, like the prongs 43 of Figure 6, engage the top and the bottom of the box to hold the corner anchors in place.

In Figure 9, corner anchors 44 are used, the same having angularly disposed arms 45 and 47, overlapped, respectively, on the ends 48 and the top 49 and the bottom 50, the arms 47 having projecting tongues 51 overlapped on the sides 52 of the box. The arms 47 have fingers 53 that stretch along the top 49 and the bottom 50. The arms 47 are connected by strips 54 and pawls and racks as. hereinbefore described. The box is circumscribed by a binder denoted generally by the numeral 55. It is not necessary to describe this binder in detail because it is of the sort shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

Referring to Figure 10, the box is shown at 56, and corner anchors 57 are held on the box by prongs 58. These corner members or anchors are like the part shownat 32 and forming the subject matter of Figure 6, except that the tongue 36 is omitted, the numeral 59 in Figure 10 designating generally the con struction shown in Figures 5 and 6 at 35, the binder strip being used on the ends and on the sides of the box, but not on the top and the bottom of the box necessarily.

In Figure 11, bands or binders made of rod stock, or light material, such as wires, are disposed about a box 60. Each band or binder embodies angle members 61 and connections 68, the connections 68 having heads 72 held for rotation in sleeves 70, threaded at 63 upon the arms of the angle members 61, certain of the arms of the angle members being crossed upon each other, as shown at 62.

WVhat is claimed is A box comprising panels disposed at an angle to each other, and a connector made up of trough-shaped end clasps and a troughshaped intermediate clasp, the end clasps on the one hand, and the intermediate clasp on the other hand, being disposed at an angle to each other, the ends of the intermediate clasp being joined to the ends of the end clasp, one panel being received at its edge in the end clasps, and the other panel being received at its edge in the intermediate clasp.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature.

TOM RANDOLPH WALKER. 

